Hayley Millar reports"Scots have been coming here for years to taste that famous Nardini ice cream" real 56k

Monday, 9 July, 2001, 17:14 GMT 18:14 UK

Ices firm seeks a cool £3.5m

The company has maintained a traditional feel

One of the most famous ice cream parlours in Scotland is to be sold off for as much as £3.5m.

Shareholders in the family ice cream company Nardini's, which includes its shop in Largs, Ayrshire, have decided to look for a buyer.

The firm has been valued at between £2.2m and £3.5m, although chairman and majority shareholder David Hendry said that selling to the right buyer was as important as getting a good price.

The sale may put an end to a dispute between Peter and Aldo Nardini over use of the family name.

Nardini ice cream is sold all across Scotland

Aldo, father of TV actress and This Life star Daniela, has been locked in a legal battle with his brother since he was removed from the board of the company.

David Hendry, who was brought in by Peter Nardini to revive the company's fortunes, has spent £600,000 on bringing the Nardini ice cream factory up to European standards

Mr Hendry said: "It is very important to us as a company that we get the right buyer.

"We might not necessarily sell completely. It would be difficult to sell 100% of the shares and tie someone down for ever, which is one of the reasons why we would be quite keen not to sell but to sell a substantial shareholding in the company.

"We have kept the company as same as it was in 1935."

"It is very very important to us that we get the right purchaser. Somebody that can continue the tradition on."

The Nardini family first started making ice cream in Scotland in 1890 when they opened a shop in Paisley.

Moving to the esplanade in Largs in 1935, the Nardini name became synonymous with summers on the west coast for holidaying Glaswegians and other visitors.

The company now makes and distributes ice cream to 300 outlets across Scotland and has a turnover of £2.5m.